Known formally as the “United Bid” (and informally as the “NAFTA Bid”), the effort showed the shrewdness of forming alliances to thwart anti-American sentiments. It also stands as a loud proclamation that the three countries can accomplish more by working together than by picking fights with each other.

At a time when the Trump administration has been insulting Canada and other trusted allies, U.S. Soccer Federation President Carlos Cordeiro and his counterparts were circling the planet, living out of hotel rooms, and gamely making the case that North America, not Morocco, should host the World Cup. As a result of the 134-65 vote in favor of the United Bid, the continent's economy — particularly its hospitality and airline sectors — will get a sizable jolt in the summer of 2026.

In raw dollars, the USA will be the greatest beneficiary, as the proposal calls for it to host 60 of the 80 matches, including all from the quarterfinals on. But Canada and Mexico are huge winners, too, because neither could realistically host the tournament alone without budget-busting construction campaigns, particularly as the World Cup expands from 32 to 48 teams.

Longer term, the Cup will be a showcase for the American way of doing sports. To this day, the 1994 World Cup held in the USA holds the record for ticket sales per game. The success of the 2026 bid was built partly on the understanding that it, too, would be a profit machine.

Mostly, the successful bid underscores the deep social, political, cultural and economic ties that make the three nations better and more economically competitive. While much has been made of jobs moving to Mexico, this is the downside of a story that has had many upsides for the United States.

It is impossible to isolate the effect of the North American Free Trade Agreement from other factors, such as the tech revolution. But most economists believe that NAFTA's overall impact has been at least modestly positive. The Council on Foreign Relations, for instance, estimates that U.S. annual economic output is about 0.5%, or $80 billion, higher than it would have been had the trade pact not been adopted in 1994. NAFTA could use some updating, but it should not be scrapped in favor of separate bilateral deals, as the Trump administration has been threatening to do.

The successful soccer bid also underscores what might be called North American exceptionalism. Nowhere on the planet do three large nations exist side-by-side with so little friction — at least until recently.

When Japan and South Korea jointly hosted the World Cup in 2002, it was seen as an only modestly successful effort to heal relations that have never fully recovered from World War II. The United Bid was seen as evidence of how the United States, Canada and Mexico will remain together no matter what comes out of Washington.

The world has taken note of this. And so should President Trump.

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